E-bike shop recruits young artist to create mural celebrating Swindon.
Posted on in Business News , Cycles News
When ACT member E-Motion Electric Vehicle Company in Swindon found that its outside wall had been vandalised with graffiti tags, manager Mark Butler decided to tidy it up a bit.
So Mark and local artist Ken White inspired 20-year-old local illustration student Adam Whitehead to make his first mural during the summer break between studies at Falmouth University.
Image: facebook.com/Emotionevc/
Adam said: "We talked about different designs, positions and ideas, started with black and white then moved into colour.
"I wanted to do something unique for the shop. It took a month and a half from start to finish, with a few gaps.
"I'm very proud of it and I feel thankful and grateful to have had this opportunity from Mark, it's not one you'd get often. I'm hoping to get more opportunities to make other murals in the future."
The finished piece - entitled The Pinehurst Peloton - includes Christ Church, the David Murray John Tower, a Virgin Atlantic plane (in reference to the 'flying lady' logo which Ken White designed) and four cyclists based on likenesses of Adam, the shop's staff and their relatives.
Adam put the final touches to the cycling-themed mural before heading back to uni. The shop held a little ceremony with their friends and loved ones to mark the occasion.
Mark added: "The wall was in a bit of a mess, so we commissioned a local lad to do something fun which would make people smile. It's had some great feedback; everyone seems to like it."
The specialist shop opened in 2011 after converting an old off-licence into a retail space and workshop to sell, repair, service and customise new and second-hand electric commuter and mountain bikes.
Each bike has an electric motor which is pedal-assisted, allowing cyclists to make journeys of as far as 90 miles on one charge, though the range reduces the faster you need to go.
Mark said: "We saw quite a big uptick in business during the pandemic and things have normalised now, but we're still fairly buoyant.
"Electric bikes have been a revelation for people because you can travel further with less effort."